


On the Heels of War and Wonder

by Kalcifer



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Accidental kidnapping, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23765278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalcifer/pseuds/Kalcifer
Summary: In the rush of killing a Divine and having to escape the planet, it's easy to forget the part where you accidentally kidnapped its Candidate in the process. It's much harder to forget when you have to spend a month in space with them onboard.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	On the Heels of War and Wonder

**Author's Note:**

> Just when you thought I couldn't come up with a more self-indulgent AU, here I am trying to save Kobus before the timeskip even hits. No, I don't know why I'm like this either.

The adrenaline of killing a Divine didn’t just vanish once the fight was over, so even after they were docked back on the _Kingdom Come_ , Aria and Cass practically jumped out of the Megalophile and rushed to the cockpit. Mako and AuDy were already there, the advantages of having just a hoverboard to put away or never having left in the first place. None of them but AuDy could actually do anything to get them safely off the planet, but being able to see what was happening helped her get past her nerves, as did seeing her teammates alive and mostly well.

It looked like Vox was having trouble putting together a response with their Divine dead, the few ships that came after them disorganized and easily evaded. The _Kingdom Come_ was in space in an almost suspiciously short amount of time. Aria was just starting to relax when Mako asked, “So are we all just okay with kidnapping a small child?”

“They’re at least a teenager,” Aria said, though she wasn’t actually sure. She hadn’t thought Diasporan politics would end up being so relevant to her life.

“More importantly, they’re a Candidate.” For once, Cass looked genuinely dour, not just the look they put on when they wanted to be angry but couldn’t hide their amusement. “They tried to kill us. Who knows how many other deaths they’re already responsible for? Treating them like some innocent kid is dangerous.”

“So, what, the fact that they’re a child soldier is proof that they’re pure evil?” There was no hint of humor in Mako’s voice, either.

“Of course not,” Aria said, trying to keep her own tone light. This was a new side of both of them, and not one she liked. “Cass is just pointing out that we can’t let our guard down around them.”

“Do you want to kill them?” AuDy asked.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the organic members of the Chime looked at each other. Even Cass seemed less than thrilled at the prospect. It was one thing to call them a threat and another thing entirely to look a child in the eye and shoot them.

“Right,” AuDy said, sounding obscurely pleased with themself. “Then unless you want to return them to Vox, it seems they’ll be staying with us for the next few weeks. Plenty of time to decide what to do.”

Cass groaned, presumably remembering the trip to Vox in the first place. Aria was inclined to agree. “I guess we should let them out of the Brilliance,” they said, though they looked like they’d prefer leaving the kid where they didn’t have to think about them.

“Where do we put them?” Aria asked. “We don’t exactly have a prison.”

“We have like a million empty bedrooms.” The bitterness was still lurking in Mako’s voice, but it sounded like he was trying to brush past it, so Aria wasn’t going to acknowledge it either. “It’s not like they’re going anywhere.”

“Unless they get in touch with the Diaspora,” Cass said.

“So we shut off our outgoing transmissions for a while.” Mako stretched his arms in a parody of casual behavior. “We probably want to lie low anyway, and I can rig it so if someone tries to turn it back on an alarm sounds or something.”

Aria frowned. “Oh, but that means I won’t be able to call Jacqui until we get back.”

“You can arrange times to reopen transmissions once we’re out of Vox’s solar system,” AuDy said. “Now, unless you have something of value to discuss, get out of my cockpit.”

“We love you too.” Mako pushed away from the wall and headed out of the room. Cass and Aria followed suit.

“All right, if you’re both okay with it, I’m going to put them in the spare room.” The spare room was in fact just an unused room they’d shoved a bed into, but it sounded better to say they had a guest bedroom, and since they had maybe three friends between the four of them it had never been an issue.

“Sure,” Cass said.

“I don’t know, what if the small child breaks into one of your bedrooms and kills you in your sleep?” Mako teased.

Thankfully, Cass didn’t take the bait, though they pinched the bridge of their nose tiredly. Aria decided to make her escape before the situation blew up again.

It was as she was making her way to the hangar that Aria realized she had no idea how to deal with children. She could dazzle them, sure, listen to some excited babbling and give a piece of vague encouragement before signing their merch. This didn’t feel like a dazzling situation.

Then again, maybe it would distract them from the fact that they had kind of been kidnapped. What else did kids like? She should have made Mako do this. He was probably great with kids.

Whatever. She was a pop star, and a very likable person in her own right. She’d be this kid’s new best friend in no time.

She put on a gentle smile and opened the Brilliance. Its chestplate lifted out and up, revealing a child curled up on its seat, sobbing. As they noticed the cockpit opening, they scrambled to get upright, scrubbing at their eyes. “I don’t care what you do to me, I’ll never betray Grace. You targeted the wrong Candidate.” Their voice wobbled with the effort of holding back tears, but they kept up a defiant glare.

“Whoa, hey, no one’s asking you to betray anyone.” Aria held out her hands in a reassuring gesture.

They flinched back. “I’m not letting you use me as a hostage, either. She probably wouldn’t even care, now that –” They broke off in a fresh sob.

Part of Aria was very glad she hadn’t sent Mako to deal with this. Another, more selfish part of her pointed out that if she had, she wouldn’t be trying to calm down a crying child she knew nothing about other than that they had tried to kill her. “I promise I’m not trying to hurt you, or use you as a hostage, or anything like that.” Aria aimed for the soothing voice she’d use on a stray cat. “I just want to take you somewhere more comfortable for you.”

“Why should I trust you? You killed –!” They cut themself off, arms pressing into their stomach.

Aria cursed internally. They had a point, and while the Chime had had a good and important reason to kill Loyalty, she could barely explain it with Cass there to sigh loudly whenever she got off track. There was no way she’d be able to convince Loyalty’s Candidate.

That did give her a good idea of how to continue the conversation, at least. “What’s your name?”

They looked up, apparently surprised out of whatever dark place they’d been going. “Kobus,” they said, disdain peeking past the anguish in their voice.

“Right. Well, Kobus, I understand why you’re upset, and I know there’s nothing I can do to make it up to you. But I can tell you I don’t want to make it any worse, and hopefully I can prove that to you eventually.”

“You understand?!” Kobus clenched their fists. “You know what? Fine. It doesn’t matter. Take me wherever it is you wanted to take me.”

Well, they were cooperating, so Aria would take it, even if it didn’t feel much like a victory. “All right, come with me.” She considered taking their hand, but they didn’t seem to be in the mood.

The walk back to the living quarters was silent. Aria spent most of it thinking about what sort of message she would send Jacqui before they shut off communications. It wasn’t until she was opening the door to the spare room that she remembered how early in the process they’d given up on it. It was basically just a bed in the middle of an empty room.

She smiled at Kobus apologetically. “I know it’s not much, but let me know if there’s anything we can do to make it better. Like, I think I’ve got a blank coloring book lying around if you want it.” She still didn’t know why Jamil thought she needed a coloring book in the first place, but at least it meant she had it around to offer.

“I don’t need a _coloring book_! I need…” This time, Kobus didn’t so much cut themself off as lose the will to keep fighting, or even keep themself upright. Their shoulders curled in. Aria couldn’t think of a single good way for that sentence to have ended, though she had plenty of ideas. “Is that it?”

Aria nodded. “I’ll let you get settled in. And, uh, feel better soon.”

Kobus made a sound that could have been anything from a scoff to a sob, but Aria was already facing the door, so she didn’t try to figure out which it was. She just slipped out and left them to try and adjust.

* * *

They were far enough from Vox that AuDy could leave navigation to the autopilot, and enough time had passed for their teammates to have settled down from the mission. With these assumptions in place, AuDy left the cockpit and was immediately proven wrong. Aria, Cass, and Mako were all standing around a door with a chair shoved in front of it. Aria was gesturing to the door emphatically. “What if they need to use the bathroom?”

“We can escort them, at least until they prove we can trust them not to try to sabotage us.” Cass crossed their arms. “I’m not happy about it either, but we need to be sensible.”

“Yeah, this is all about sense. I’m sure it has nothing to do with your weird hatred for Divines and everything to do with them.” Mako rolled his eyes.

“What, because you love Divines so much?”

Mako threw his hands up. “I don’t like Divines, but I can at least separate them from the people they brainwash!”

“Are you still arguing about what to do with the captive?” AuDy asked.

Aria looked guilty. Mako made a wobbly noncommittal gesture with his hand. “Captive is a strong word,” Cass said.

“Right,” AuDy said. “I will explain the situation to them.”

Their crew made the face they usually made when AuDy decided to talk to people, dubious and a little concerned. The looks they traded distracted them long enough for AuDy to shove the chair to the side and get into the room beyond it.

The Candidate lay on their side on the bed, unmoving.

“Wake up,” AuDy said. When the Candidate didn’t respond, AuDy rolled them to face them properly. Their eyes were open, so they were presumably capable of understanding. AuDy didn’t bother to confirm before beginning. “I have come to help you understand where things stand for you.

“We are currently headed for Counterweight. The journey is expected to take several weeks of nonstop travel. You will remain aboard the ship the entire time. You could try to contact someone to come save you. If you do, we will know, and you will be dead long before anyone could reach you.” It wasn’t a threat, as that would imply that there was something AuDy wanted from them. This was a simple statement of fact.

Even so, AuDy wasn’t expecting the Candidate to smile in response. “Finally,” they muttered. To AuDy, they said, “I understand. What happens when we get to Counterweight?”

“We have not yet decided.” AuDy considered the question. “There will likely be another debate about what to do with you. It is in your best interests to convince the rest of the crew to like you.”

The Candidate finally pushed themself upright, resting their weight on their arm. “What about you?”

“I do not care about you. That is unlikely to change.”

The Candidate smiled again. AuDy didn’t understand. They’d just been informed that AuDy wouldn’t be the one to determine their fate, so there was no point in trying to sway them like that. Why were they smiling?

“Why are you smiling?” AuDy asked.

The Candidate shook their head. “It’s not that funny.” When AuDy didn’t respond, they sighed. “It’s just, you make much more sense than those other people. I understand you.”

“You do not know me,” AuDy pointed out.

“I know.”

AuDy waited for an explanation, standing perfectly still in a way they knew often unnerved people. The Candidate didn’t seem concerned. If anything, they relaxed.

Figuring no answers were coming, AuDy left the room. Their teammates were waiting in the hallway in various states of failed nonchalance. “How’d it go?” Mako asked.

“I do not think they will give us any trouble.”

“I swear, if you killed them…” Cass said tiredly.

“Of course not. I simply told them that we would if they attempted to contact the Diaspora.”

“Oh my God,” Aria said. “AuDy, they’re a kid!”

“A kid who now knows better than to try anything.” AuDy pushed past Aria back towards the cockpit. They didn’t have anything they needed to do there, but they were more likely to get away if it looked like they were busy.

None of this was their problem. One way or another, the Candidate would be gone before long, and AuDy wouldn’t have to think about them anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> "The Gang Adopts a Candidate"


End file.
